The effects of peer relational victimization on social cognition: Rejection attribution bias or a more generalized sensitivity to social pain?
Journal of Social and Personal Relationships
Published online on September 01, 2016
Abstract
This study tested two possible ways that being relationally victimized may affect social cognition. Victims may develop a rejection attribution bias (i.e., experiencing social pain by engaging in cue distortion and attributing ambiguous social behavior to intentional rejection). Conversely, victims may develop a more generalized sensitivity to social pain, wherein they react negatively to a wider spectrum of social situations—even those in which they are obviously included and excluded). Participants (males = 55, females = 134) completed online surveys containing demographic, personality, and peer victimization measures. In a later session, participants came to the lab and were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: overt exclusion, ambiguous nonexclusion, and overt inclusion as part of an online ball-tossing game (Cyberball). The participants then completed self-report measures regarding their mood and experiences during the game. The results provided more support for the theoretical model that victims have a more generalized sensitivity to social pain; the rejection attribution theory was not supported.